Ring Out Wild Bells by Alfred Lord Tennyson (Summary & Analysis)

 

Ring Out Wild Bells

by Alfred Lord Tennyson

(Summary & Analysis)

  

Alfred Tennyson was one of the most popular British poets of all time. He was from royal and noble ancestry but was brought up in a middle-class household. A lot of his work was rooted in mythology. Tennyson tried his hand at stage plays also, but these are not considered to be particularly good.

First Stanza

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,

The flying cloud, the frosty light;

The year is dying in the night;

Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Since, the poem, ‘Ring Out Wild Bells’ is about New Year, the word, ‘bells’ is mentioned in the first stanza. They are described as being wild. This word helps set the underlying tone for the rest of the poem. The thought of ‘the holiday season’ continue with the narrator, and he describs the light as being “frosty”. The narrator uses the words, dying and die, for the year, in the last two lines. The second time ‘death’ is used in the last line of this stanza.

Second Stanza

Ring out the old, ring in the new,

Ring, happy bells, across the snow:

The year is going, let him go;

Ring out the false, ring in the true.

The first line suggests the concept of ringing in the new year. ‘Out’ with the old and ‘in’ with the new etc. Here bells are described as being happy rather than wild, this makes the image much softer. The poet instructs the readers, to let the previous year go. In the last line of this stanza, the “old” is synonymous with the false and the “new” with the true.

Third Stanza

Ring out the grief that saps the mind,

For those that here we see no more,

Ring out the feud of rich and poor,

Ring in redress to all mankind.

In this stanza also the idea of bell ringing continues. Here the poet is telling us to “ring out” grief. We need to let go of things like grief. The emotion is described aptly as sapping the mind. The word “here” suggests the mortal realm. It means, that we will see them again but somewhere else, that is, on the other side, or in heaven. In the last two lines of this stanza, the poet asks, to end all the disputes between the classes.

Fourth Stanza

Ring out a slowly dying cause,

And ancient forms of party strife;

Ring in the nobler modes of life,

With sweeter manners, purer laws.

The negativity felt towards the old system is even more clear here and the word, ‘dying’ is used once again. The things, that happened last year and before that, are felt to have not been working. He feels, that the system is broken and he calls for a nobler way of life and, better manners and purer laws.

Fifth Stanza

Ring out the want, the care the sin,

The faithless coldness of the times;

Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes,

But ring the fuller minstrel in.

In this stanza of Ring Out Wild Bells, poem, the narrator once again describes the negatives that he sees. He wants to get rid of want, sin and care. Care for frivolous things. In the second line the cold is once again mentioned but this time it is ascribed to the era that they live in. The poet states that they want their own “mournful rhymes” to be “rung out”. He requests a “fuller minstrel” a minstrel is another word of a performer.

Sixth Stanza

Ring out false pride in place and blood,

The civic slander and the spite;

Ring in the love of truth and right,

Ring in the common love of good.

The first line of this stanza attacks on nepotism and false patriotism. The poet continues to attack the ideas of civic slander. He is unhappy about the local state of his home country. He wants these concepts to be replaced with love, truth and goodness.

Seventh Stanza

Ring out old shapes of foul disease,

Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;

Ring out the thousand wars of old,

Ring in the thousand years of peace.

In this stanza, the poet says, that we should get rid of disease, which is perhaps a bit hopeful. In the second line, he suggests, that the love of money is something that should disappear with the new year and finally he turns his attention to war. He wants to usher it out and replace it with peace.

Eighth Stanza

Ring in the valiant man and free,

The larger heart, the kindlier hand;

Ring out the darkness of the land,

Ring in the Christ that is to be.

In this stanza, the poet talks about, how he wants mankind to be going forward: Valiant, free, big-hearted and kind. In the last line, he talks about ‘ringing in Christ’. This is a reference to the second coming of Christ.

Ring Out Wild Bells is written in free verse form. It is separated into eight stanzas, which are all four lines long. Each line is roughly 8 syllables long and uses 4 iambs, giving the poem a very even rhythm. There is also a consistent rhyming pattern which adds music to the poem. The rhyming pattern is abba.